200M Chinese Have Had Enough! Excavator Tears Into Government Building, 100K Protests Sweep China

Someone in China drove an excavator into the local government service center in Xi'an, Shaanxi on November 9th, tearing down its entrance and exterior facade. Video shows government employees fleeing, with no one daring to step forward and stop the driver. The excavator continued tearing down structures inside the center. Civil servants at the scene were unable to intervene and could only stand by taking pictures. Footage filmed by staff inside the government service center shows the excavators' bucket easily sweeping away the ornate revolving door and floor-to-ceiling windows and doors. SWAT vehicles soon arrived, and police quickly cordoned off the scene. Authorities deployed large numbers of police officers and vehicles around the area to keep people away. According to the mainland newspaper The Beijing News, a witness said the incident The incident began around 11am and lasted about an hour. The witness described being frightened and seeing the driver maneuver the excavator to keep others from approaching. A staff member said people were evacuated. Reports said video from the scene showed structural damage in at least six places at the center. Police photographed and examined the scene to collect evidence. Authorities posted a notice saying all services had been suspended because of an unexpected incident. In the latest account, a person sharing information about the incident said the excavator driver was a construction contractor who was owed as much as 20 million yuan in project fees. The contractor and his worker had spent 15 full days sitting outside the entrance demanding answers. But the agencies involved continued to deny them entry and failed to pay. With no way to recover the debt, the contractor finally lost patience. He brought in the excavator and began tearing out construction materials, dramatically escalating the dispute. The same person said the contractor also had a gas cylinder in the excavator's cab. After tearing apart the Fengdong government service hall, he went looking for the party secretary, carrying the cylinder around inside as he searched. The government building issued a notice suspending operation. The person added that five SWAT vehicles arrived, but officers still couldn't fully bring the situation under control. They were reluctant to get too close because he was holding the gas cylinder. Many Chinese users on X, which is blocked in mainland China, applauded the incident. One wrote, People in China have finally learned how to protest. Stand outside a government office all day with a banner, and no one gives a damn. This is the right way. Once people start copying it, it's only a matter of time before local governments across China face similar attacks. Another wrote, You keep forcibly demolishing other people's homes. Now it's the government's turn. It must be unpaid government construction bills. An ordinary company would never dare to do this. It would have been sued long ago. This contractor has guts. A third wrote, good, tear down this predatory communist regime. Political repression under the Chinese Communist Party, combined with an economic downturn, has fueled public anger and frequent social conflicts. Several indiscriminate attacks have shocked the country and harmed innocent people. Direct attacks on government departments remain extremely rare. In recent years, however, incidents specifically targeting the government have been increasing. A blue sedan rammed the entrance area outside the Beihai Municipal Government offices in Guangxi on November 24, 2025. A black armed patrol vehicle struck it, and smoke filled the scene. After the sedan was brought to a stop, police and security guards carrying shields surrounded it and repeatedly struck it with batons. A man wearing white was then dragged from the car and taken away. Many people gathered to watch, discuss what had happened, and take pictures. But after the incident, major social media platforms in China removed all related videos and articles, but searches by many users were still visible on Douyin, including videos of cars ramming Beihai government offices, the scene of incident inside the offices, the entrance to the government buildings, and a large crowd outside the government offices. A Beihai resident identified as Ms. Wang confirmed the incident to non-state media at the time. She said the government blocked internet access afterward, making it impossible to post anything. She could not confirm whether shots had been fired and did not know why the driver had rammed the government offices. But she believed the driver must have suffered an injustice, since no one would drive into a building for no reason. Ms. Wang emphasized this would be the first incident of its kind in Beihai since the Chinese Communist Party came to power. That's why the authorities are taking it so seriously. Beihai's mayor had only just taken office less than a month earlier. Many users on X commented on the incident. One wrote, there is someone responsible for every injustice and every debt. This time he finally went to the right place. Another wrote, finally the right target. Stay strong people of China. A third wrote, a brave man. People in China are close to breaking down. Under relentless arrests and enforced silence, some are beginning to realize that the government Government is the enemy. The Chinese Communist Party created all this suffering. Nobody can live a decent life. I hope this brave man stays safe. A video showing someone driving towards Xinhua Gate, the main entrance to the government compound in Zhongnanhai, went viral on X on March 10, 2024. A Beijing media professional believed the car was locally registered and that its owner was certainly no ordinary person. A former Chinese professional, identified as Mr. Zhao, wrote, That armed police and SWAT officers lined Beijing streets in the early hours of March 10th, while delegates attending the annual legislative and political advisory meetings slept. The entire city was under tight security. Even so, a lone man he described as brave stepped on the gas and drove towards Xinhua Gate. But the gate's threshold was too high, and dozens of security guards rushed out, surrounded him, and took him away. Video show a black sedan outside Xinhua Gate, where security personnel restrained the driver and carried him away at a jog. A witness said someone shouted that the Communist Party was a murderer. Just inside the entrance is a screen wall bearing the slogan, Serve the People. Farther in is an artificial lake with paths running around both sides. The CCP general secretary's office is only about six-tenths of a mile away. The vehicle had local license plates and was a mid-range to high-end car, which the witness speculated was built to withstand collision. The witness also interpreted the footage as showing an officer holding a riot control fork, stunning the driver with an electric shock, and dragging him away. Ex-user Yu Feng also wrote that a fearless lone man drove at Zhongnanhai's Xinhua Gate, intending to smash the Serve the People slogan. The post said he knocked dozens of security guards out of the way before plainclothes officers and military personnel carried him off. Chinese rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng, who lives abroad, also wrote about the incident. He said Beijing was filled with security posts during the politically sensitive annual legislative and political advisory meetings. During such events, the Communist Party treats every possible threat as an imminent enemy. Despite that security, a brave citizen drove at Zhongnanhai early on March 10th and was carried away by guards and police. Chen wrote, More and more people dare to resist. What is missing is an organized, strategic effort. The Communist Party's destructive policies and disregard for human life have provoked universal outrage. It has reached a dead end and could be overthrown by the people at any moment. Beyond individuals acting alone to confront government departments directly, protests among the wider public in China are also surging. Local authorities forcibly demolished a villager's house under construction in Jiao Tong, Yunnan on November 5. The homeowner responded with an extreme form of protest. The demolition sparked intense anger among local villagers, who surrounded the demolition crew for an extended period and demanded answers. Violent forced demolitions have also occurred earlier this year in Weixing and Zhenxiong counties in Jiao Tong, Yunnan. Villagers drove demolition crews back with bricks and stones. According to someone who shared information about the incident, local authorities designated several homes in Jiaxi Town as illegal buildings on January 20th. Owners were ordered to demolish the homes themselves within three days. Villagers were furious because they have lived in these supposedly illegal buildings for more than 20 years, and the houses were their only homes. The local government was planning a real estate development called Hotspring Town in the area. After villagers rejected the low compensation offered, authorities began pressuring them by labeling their homes illegal. Villagers began gathering around their homes day and night on January 13th to resist demolition. Dozens of government personnel, including the town's party secretary, arrived on January 20th carrying sledgehammers, steel pry bars, and other demolition tools. One house displayed a banner warning that it was private property and anyone entering without permission would bear the consequences. When officials began removing its door, villagers on the roof threw bricks and stones, eventually driving the demolition crew away. That same day, police cracked down on merchants who were protesting outside the Chongqing branch of the People's Bank of China in Liangjiang New Area. The merchants accused the central bank of inadequate oversight, and several people were taken away. The dispute is over Kunpeng Pay, a third-party payment company licensed by the People's Bank of China. Widespread failures to transfer merchant funds began in October this year. Many merchants never received their sales proceeds after customers paid normally by scanning payment codes or using cards. Amounts owed ranged from several thousand yuan to more than 100,000 yuan. Kunpeng Pay unexpectedly announced on November 2 that general manager Xue Musong had resigned for health reasons. At the same time, an online rumor said Xue had fled to the United States with merchant sales proceeds. Though unverified, the rumor sharply intensified their panic. Starting November 3rd, large numbers of merchants traveled from across China to Chongqing, spending several days demanding payment at Kunpeng Pay's headquarters. With no clear repayment plan forthcoming, they moved their protests to the Chongqing branch of the People's Bank of China on November 5th. On November 2nd, independent taxi owners affiliated with Qicheng Taxi Company in Xi'an, Shaanxi, gathered outside the company and chanted demands for lower fees. One participating driver said Xi'an had more than 4,000 privately owned taxis that transport authorities required to operate under taxi companies. Those companies charge about 6,000 yuan per vehicle each year in management fees. They also force drivers to buy vehicles for more than 20,000 yuan above market price. The driver said management fees alone total more than 24 million yuan annually across the city. Everyone knows whose pockets that money ends up in, but people are usually afraid to speak out. A worker at Shuangyi Technology in Shenzhen, Guangdong, died suddenly after a night shift in late October this year. A co-worker said the company had assigned him enough work for two people that night. He was honest but timid and did not dare to refuse. After working all night, he returned to the factory dormitory and died just two hours later. The company refused to accept any responsibility because he died in the dorms. His family protested outside the company on October 29th, but police drove them away. A person familiar with the case said Shuangyi later paid the family only 20,000 yuan, about 2,800 US dollars. Back in April 2019, the company had also faced revelations that a 20-year-old female worker had died from overwork. Her family had also protested outside the company with a banner. Thousands of students at two high schools in Guangdong launched protests on the evening of October 29th over school rules and management practices they considered unreasonable. At Longquan County Experimental Middle School in Heyuan, an equipment failure left the campus without power for several hours. Large numbers of students gathered at the school gate, chanting that they wanted to go home and demanded to leave. School leaders refused, triggering a standoff. Students eventually climbed over the gate and left. During the confrontation, some kicked the school's party secretary and principal as they tried to stop them. Later that evening, students also staged a collective protest at No. 2 Middle School in Gaoyao District, Zhaoqing. The principal had ordered the air conditioning turned off, and students, angered by the unbearable heat, shouted from their dormitories, demanding that it be restored. Some then forced open the dormitory entrance and marched in circles around campus for an extended period. Nearly 1,000 protests broke out across mainland China in the third quarter of this year. Voice of America cited data released by November 2nd by Freedom House, a Washington-based non-governmental organization. It recorded 948 protests in China from July through September 2026, a clear increase from 846 in the previous quarter. Workers led the largest share of third-quarter protests, accounting for 44 percent. Homeowners followed at about 27 percent, and rural residents at 9 percent. Other protests were organized by groups, including small business owners, consumers, parents, students, investors, petitioners, and rights advocates. Guangdong had the most protests, accounting for about 13 percent of the total, followed by Henan, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Shandong. Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor recorded 846 protests in the second quarter of 2026. Homeowners accounted for the largest share at 36 percent, followed by workers at 24 percent and villagers at 18 percent. Other protests involved a range of groups, including parents and students, small business owners, investors, consumers, petitioners, and activists. Guangdong recorded the most incidents, at 14 percent of the total. In the first half of 2026, protests by shopkeepers, suppliers, distributors, and other small business owners reached their highest level for that period since 2022. The trend likely reflects the financial pressure these groups face from persistently weak domestic consumption in China. I'm starting Meanwhile, crackdowns on small business protests also appear to have become more frequent since early 2025. Dozens of construction workers gathered outside the villa of a top executive at Lan Guang Group in Chengdu, Sichuan on October 26. to They surrounded the entrance and demanded that speak he come out and settle unpaid wages. This was their second effort to recover wages that month. now. On October 12, workers had briefly held two people responsible for the unpaid wages. A confrontation broke out on October 24th at the Red Wall, a popular photo spot near Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, Hubei. Security guards forcibly carried away several independent photographers. The dispute began after the scenic areas management granted one company exclusive control over photography positions at the wall, leaving existing independent photographers facing complete removal. Under the new rules, photographers wishing to continue taking bookings there had to sign a contract with the company and pay a 10,000 yuan deposit. The company would set photography prices and take a mandatory commission of 25-35% on every booking. The photographers refused the commissions and continued working at the site, prompting the company to deploy guards and remove Move them by force. One person online said management had outsourced previously free public photography positions in the name of standardized management. In reality, the person said it was using the company as a front to collect protection money from independent photographers. A dispute between a hospital and a patient's family erupted at Tang County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Baoding, Hebei on October 23rd. A man had died after hemorrhoid surgery, and security guards used fire extinguishers to drive away relatives who came demanding answers. According to the family, he was admitted for surgery on October 9, and all preoperative tests were normal. On October 12, he told a nurse he hurt his leg. The nurse dismissed it as a result of cold weather, and neither reported it nor recorded it in the nursing notes. The family said this delayed detection of a fatal blood clot by By six days. He was diagnosed with a high-risk blood clot on the morning of October 18th. Despite the danger, a doctor described his condition as stable. That evening, he was even allowed to get out of bed on his own to use the bathroom, leading to his sudden death. This was the hospital's second death following hemorrhoid surgery within two years. Local authorities, urban enforcement officers, and police forcibly removed street vendors from the Daishan Night Market in Nanjing on October 11th and 12th. Repeated intense clashes broke out over both days, and several vendors were beaten, injured, and arrested. Vendors familiar with the situation said authorities began restructuring the previously thriving market in September this year, introducing management fees and a lottery to allocate stalls. Some vendors said they lost their right to trade because they had not bribed government personnel. Some were unable to register, while others failed to win a stall in the lottery. Still others received stalls in very poor locations. A large protest by homeowners broke out at a residential complex in Jiangnan District, Nanning, Guangxi, on the evening of October 10. Hundreds joined forces to tear down the property management office and related facilities. They drove out staff they accused of long-standing inaction. Many elementary school children were also there, shouting encouragement. Homeowners said years of severe neglect by management had left the complex filthy and chaotic. Shared landscaped areas had become vegetable plots, pig pens, chicken coops, and duck shelters. Even the swimming pool was being used to raise fish. A confrontation over forced demolition broke out at a residential complex in Huaihua, Hunan on September 29. Local authorities sent large numbers of administrative personnel and police into the complex to forcibly remove rooftop elevator shafts and other sections designated as exceeding height limits. Many homeowners came to protest, and the two sides clashed. Homeowners said the dispute began after Zhijiang Airport planned to add routes and the air traffic authority revised its clearance restrictions. Several legally built residential complexes in the county, including Zhongwei International Residence, suddenly exceeded the new height limits and faced rooftop demolition. The buildings had stood for years, and owners had long held property ownership certificates. Residents feared that removing the tops of elevator shafts and structures associated with the complex would compromise Building safety. Elevator operations and roof waterproofing, but local authorities provided no safety assurances or compensation plan. The complex had already faced a demolition attempt on August 21st this year, but residents' protests stopped it. According to the website China Collective Protest Records, petitioners face collective repression whenever the Chinese Communist Party holds a major meeting. Ahead of the party's fifth plenum in Beijing, authorities began a large-scale operation in early October to remove petitioners from the capital. Detentions, abductions, and forced returns to their hometowns continued throughout the month. By the October 26-29 meeting, petitioners in Beijing had essentially been cleared out. Only a handful remained, lining up to register their grievances at the National Public Complaints and Proposals The Supreme People's Court. The Ministry of Public Security and other locations. Beijing abruptly tightened subway security checks on October 22nd and 23rd, ahead of the Chinese Communist Party's Fifth Plenum. The cumbersome procedures caused overcrowding and long lines at many station entrances. At Fuxingmin Station, lines stretched for hundreds of yards, and commuters needed more than half an hour on average just to enter. A person online said on October 17th that people taking photos at the Potala Palace Square in Tibet were taken into a police office for questioning. The person said anyone who took a photo had their details registered, adding that restrictions seem to grow tighter every day. Over the past several years, many people have been questioned and removed by police for displaying banners and taking photos in or near the square. Being investigated simply for taking photographs is a recent development. On October 1st this year, authorities forcibly shut down a group chat after its members posed for a group photo in the square. Police also summoned the group's administrator to give a statement. Some popular photo spots farther from the square have recently been placed off-limits to photography as well. A young couple posing for photos in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on the evening of October 2nd were suddenly surrounded by several secret police officers. Their simple The simple pose had triggered the authorities' heightened security response. Even the person helping them to take photos was a secret police officer. The incident raised doubts about how many people in the square were actually tourists. People online said these excessive security measures waste public resources and burden ordinary people. They said the measures expose a dictator's deep insecurity and tendency to view everyone as an enemy. China collective protest records said about 100,000 collective protests take place in China each year, and more than half may appear on social media. But the Chinese Communist Party's strict censorship means most of these posts are deleted or have their reach restricted. As a result, most protests remain unknown to the outside world.